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The " Art" in me is dying

Hello everyone, nice to meet you all.

I am hoping maybe...that some of you might help me with an issue that has been getting worse recently. Currently i feel like i should just accept it...but if i do then i no longer have anything to look forward to in life...I dont get to travel..i dont go out (and believe me i cant do anything about it dont question it)
The "ART" in me is dying..the desire to draw to paint is gone and i feel bland...hopeless and full of regret.
After trying so hard to get back to art...when i finally got my own laptop..and wacom bamboo ink pen after so much pain and years being on a hiatus...
all of a sudden..i no longer have the will to do art. I tried getting into animation...making it into a dedicated hobby and that also failed. because recently i got very ill i was sick for 2 weeks and randomly..my desire to make art is all gone..not even animating which was making excited and happy.
I wont deny that i would still draw occasionally (random doodles or scribbles)...cuz i got Asperger and it makes me feel less...well...you know. I live a sheltered life...its like a prison and art has always made me free in this home...but now my muse is gone...i feel like a fish in the ocean.

I was wondering if anyone had been through this and have they overcome it? or how should i overcome this?

hey I also have this sometimes the problem is most often assossiating art with stress , wanting to be as good as your idols and feeling hurt for not being good enough. try to do relaxed creative things just doodling , coloring in a color book , things that are easy for you,... withouth any pressure for a while

Depression is something I'm pretty familiar with. For me it comes and goes. It used to be ever present. I find that giving in and wallowing in it just creates a feedback loop of sorts that keeps you down. Decide that you don't want to be depressed anymore. Quit feeling sorry for yourself. There's always someone who's better off than you, more skilled, more attractive, more socially astute, but there are always people who have it much, much worse. Slavery is still a thing you know. Bitching about how hard your life is won't get you anywhere. You need to develop your ability to focus on the present moment and be grateful for the things you do have. Do you want to make art or not? Figure that out and make your choice. The world isn't going to wait on you to feel better. Nobody really cares that much. The clock keeps ticking and you're getting closer and closer to the grave. You will die and be utterly forgotten. So you better make damn sure that you do your best to have a good time while you're here.

I'm not a psychologist. I'm just a guy who's had years of dealing with his own depression and sense of entitlement.

...The world isn't going to wait on you to feel better. Nobody really cares that much. The clock keeps ticking and you're getting closer and closer to the grave. You will die and be utterly forgotten...

Wait until something really motivates you Mythmaker. Just keep your hand in until it does. When that urge returns, and it will, you don't want to find you can't draw anymore like I did, and have to start again from scratch.

The Following User Says Thank You to Black Spot For This Useful Post:

Wait until something really motivates you Mythmaker. Just keep your hand in until it does. When that urge returns, and it will, you don't want to find you can't draw anymore like I did, and have to start again from scratch.

What led you to point where you weren't drawing anymore?

I think people are stressing, not doing work which leads more stress -> paralyze ..... just stop kicking yourself over it but if its fear based problem then you need to get back on horse and not put so much pressure yourself
@Myth: what got you started in first place???

The Following User Says Thank You to stonec For This Useful Post:

Hey! Thanks for your concern, but I'm actually fine - I was trying to be ironic (responding to that snippet of quote), but it seems to have got lost in translation somewhere between my head and the interweb...

Actually - I believe it was the desire to tell stories that fuelled my pursuit of illustration. Then it quickly became rewarding in itself; there was a more apparent sense of progress and achievement than with drawing from life, which I had a natural ability for.

I've been through many challenging times in the pursuit of excellence - from just not feeling inspired, to full on depression. But I never completely stopped; it's so integral to my being now - and I don't think I'll ever run out of things to learn and achieve.

So I would say - experiencing down periods is a normal part of being an artist, and a human being. But it can help to ask the feelings you experience if they are trying to tell you something (like they are pointing to something that needs addressing). The OP mentioned being stuck indoors; I think isolation can be a challenge to motivation, and to mental health in general - we are naturally social creatures and it's hard to find meaning in things when we are disconnected. There's an inherent danger there in that art can be a lonely pursuit, and a greedy one when it comes to our time and attention.

@Myth:Its great you are not struggling with it Same here, some times life is just roller coaster, I think some times it shows in art. I don't remember myself why I started drawing either, I just tried it and like it but weird thing is more you learn craft more you like it. I do feel all art that is leaning toward realism is some sort of story telling form or another, but I do think you need to be interested in other things besides art as you can bring it to your art
Isolation can be problem, as you said but some people can probably cope it better than others, it has to do with personality I think. @OP: if you feel like walls are collapsing at you, go to outside and observe your surroundings, you can draw if you please and random doodles are fine as long as you have fun with it, find things you enjoy drawing is important or else you wouldn't probably do it

People keep missing the last part about making sure to have a good time. You can't get hung up on the whole death thing. That's just there for motivation because it's true. Gotta be having a good time. That's the important part. Party hard and when death finally does come- no regrets. And who knows, maybe your art will make it into history. Maybe not. The sun will expand and destroy the entire planet anyway. Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.

Maybe you need some input that will inspire you again. Maybe even watching TV can help. Sometime you will encounter some character or picture or just colors that will inspire you suddenly. Wish you and everybody who's struggling all the best!

I know how you feel. Not exactly, but as someone who loved to draw only to have my love for it as well as many other joys I used to partake in fizzle out...it's empty. However, isolating yourself is detrimental. It is, to a point, hypocritical for me to say, but you need to not stay inside, you need to get outside and just...take a walk, breath in the fresh air, get some sun. It is good and healthy for you. Maybe put on some smooth jazzhop to help set a calming mood on your walk to just feel anything but your mind. Touch and graze your hand against the plants, fences, and brick that you might pass--just relax and enjoy your time out of your house, out of your room, out of bed. On your walk, take a bag with you. Fill it up with a couple waters, a simple pen or two, and your sketchbook. Find a shaded area, sit down, open your sketchbook, and have the pen in your hand. Try to put anything down. Look around for people, wild flowers, maybe animals. If not a drawing, try to write down how you're feeling be it an actual sentence or maybe a color that encompasses your thoughts. The point of this is to not only get you to go outside for your health, but to get you to open that sketchbook of yours. Repetition is key. Put clothes on and go outside with your bag, find a place to sit after a brief walk, open up that sketchbook, put pen to paper. Some days will be good, you'll actually be able to draw, some bad where nothing happens not even words, but stick with it...how you're feeling is just something you have to work through if you feel like you want art a part of your life. It is harsh, but @David_a_ray is right when he says that "the world isn't going to wait on you to feel better. Nobody [else really] cares". It is YOUR OWN CHOICE if you want to break out of your rut and have drawing or any activity as a part of your life. YOU have to work at it. You cannot sit around and wait for your bad feelings to leave because the longer you wallow in self pity and emptiness, the more it will fester. Life will pass you by, and years later you'll look back and regret all the time you've WASTED doing nothing but feeling nothing and crying and putting yourself down. It is the same concept with motivation and determination--if you want art in your life, you cannot wait for the good days where you are filled with motivation, you have to work through the bad days too. Claw your way through the sludge and show yourself that YOU ARE NOT WORTHLESS and that you can set out and do the things you know you love. YOU CAN DO IT, JUST LET YOURSELF.

The Following User Says Thank You to AlFair For This Useful Post:

I notice that it's been more than two months since the original post. I hope it's not too late to share my 2c worth. More importantly, I hope you're feeling better now and that you've resumed your artistic pursuits.

If not, do not worry. What you feel is part of the artistic process. This may be difficult and torturous, but it constitutes your individuality. That is, your struggles may be relatable to me, but they are ultimately yours. These struggles, whether we like it or not, inform our art. They are part of, if not the artistic process itself. As long as you feel the urge to create, you can rest assured that you care. You're not apathetic, and that is a great thing, in my opinion.

I don't mean to glorify your struggles; I just mean that you will be better for it